Geothermal Loops Design and Installation
Geothermal systems consist of an indoor unit and a buried earth loops that use the Earth’s constant temperatures to provide “free energy” to heat and cool your home. In the winter months, fluid circulating through the system’s earth loops absorb and store heat, and carries it indoors. Proper design and installation of Geothermal Loops is the key to its efficient and reliable operation.
There are two primary types of Geothermal System Loops: Closed Loop Systems and Open Loop Systems.
Closed Loop Geothermal Systems
A Closed Loop System is the most common type of Geothermal System Installation. The closed loop heat exchanging geothermal loops are filled with fluid and buried underground. During system operations, fluid constantly circulates in buried pipes/loops, absorbing heat from the earth during the winter months and taking heat from indoor and transferring back into the earth during summer.
The Closed Loop systems can be installed as Horizontal Loops or Vertical Loops.
Horizontal loop installation is usually the most economical, but requires adequate land areas without hard rock surfaces. Installations can use a number of trenches as a single pipe, multi-pipes in narrow trenches, and multi-pipes in wide trenches. A horizontal loop system allows loop installation with trench sizes based on the size of the home lot.
In the lots limited by space, a Vertical loop may be installed for the geothermal loops. Depending on the conditions of the ground, holes are bored in the ground anywhere between 150 to 250 feet deep. Long loops of pipe are then inserted into the ground and then connected to headers in a trench leading back into the home system.
The objective of drilling is to install a specific amount of pipe and not to reach a specific underground depth.
Geothermal Pond Loops
Geothermal pond loops can be installed inside a body of water near a home's property. During the installation, loops are placed along the bottom of the lake or pond and function in a similar manner to regular in-ground geothermal loops. Geothermal Pond Loops provide a great economical alternative to horizontal or vertical loop installations.
Open Loop Geothermal System
In an Open Loop System instead of using an antifreeze solution sealed inside the buried piping, the system uses water from a surface or underground source - such as a ponds, lakes or wells. This water is pumped into the system's geothermal heat pump which then extracts the heat from the water and later discharges it back into it’s original source. Water quality is very important in a open loop system.
Please contact us to learn more about Geothermal System benefits, operations or to receive a free system installation quote.
